Sergio Davi, a professional skipper and the captain of his water sports club in Palermo, Italy, just landed in St. Anthony, Newfoundland, having cruised alone more than 6,000 nm from home in his 36-foot RIB Nautilus Explorer. Davi, 52, who has previously made solo journeys on RIBs to Rio de Janeiro, Amsterdam and Norway, is waiting for a weather window and then he’ll resume his voyage to New York.
He left Palermo on July 21, and headed north, past Portugal, Spain, France, the UK, Ireland and Greenland. He had to spend 10 days in Qaqortoq, in southern Greenland, because of weather, and then ran into heavy seas heading south on the Labrador Sea to St. Anthony, at the northern tip of Newfoundland.
Although he usually cruises in the 20-plus knot range, Davi had to dial his twin 350-hp Suzukis back to 7 knots, largely to avoid hitting icebergs, to reach St. Anthony. After he arrived and rested, he told the Halifax Chronicle Herald that “It’s a very cold place in terms of temperature and the people are absolutely fantastic.”
From there, Davi will head down the Gulf of St. Lawrence to Sydney, Nova Scotia, stop in Halifax and then aim for his final destination in New York. At that point, he will have cruised well more than 7,000 nm from home. His RIB, a Nuova Jolly Marine Prince 38 CC, has an entire suite of Simrad electronics, including an autopilot, to keep him on course. It has a special console to protect him from the elements, and a custom captain’s seat made by Bensenzoni. Read more:
